Chorizanthe orcuttiana |
Chorizanthe obovata |
|
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Orcutt spineflower, Orcutt's spineflower, San Diego spineflower |
spoon-sepal spineflower |
|
Habit | Plants prostrate, 0.1–0.5 × 0.3–2(–2.5) dm, villous. | Plants erect to prostrate, (0.5–)1–3(–4) × 1–4(–5) dm, pubescent. |
Leaves | basal; petiole 1–2 cm; blade narrowly oblanceolate, 0.5–1.5 × 0.2–0.35(–0.5) cm, thinly pubescent. |
basal; petiole 0.5–2(–3) cm; blade oblanceolate, 0.5–2.5 × 0.3–1 cm, thinly pubescent adaxially, soft-hirsute abaxially. |
Inflorescences | with involucres in small clusters 0.5–1 cm diam., greenish; bracts 2, sessile, unequal, 1 laminar and oblanceolate, 0.3–1 cm × 1–3 mm, awnless, this opposite linear, acicular, greatly reduced, 0.1–0.2 cm × 0.3–0.6 mm bract terminated by short, straight awn 0.6–1 mm. |
with involucres in open clusters 2–4(–6) cm diam., greenish or reddish; bracts 2–3 at proximal node, usually leaflike, without whorl of sessile bracts about midstem, elliptic, 0.5–1.5 cm × 2–6(–8) mm, abruptly reduced above proximal node, becoming scalelike, linear, aciculate, acerose, 0.2–1 cm × 1–3 mm, awns straight, 1–2 mm. |
Involucres | 1, greenish, campanulate, 3-ribbed, 0.8–2 mm, faintly corrugate, pubescent; teeth 3, equal, 1.8–2 mm; awns uncinate, 0.6–1 mm. |
3–10+, grayish, urceolate, slightly ventricose basally, 3–4 mm, slightly corrugate, without scarious or membranous margins, thinly to densely pubescent; teeth erect to spreading, unequal, 1–2 mm; awns straight or uncinate with longer anterior one straight, mostly 1 mm, others uncinate, 0.5–1 mm. |
Flowers | 1, included to slightly exserted; perianth yellow, cylindric, 1.5–1.8 mm, densely pubescent abaxially; tepals connate ca. 1/2 their length, monomorphic, narrowly oblanceolate, obtuse to truncate, entire apically, slightly spreading; stamens 9, slightly exserted; filaments distinct, 0.5–0.8 mm, glabrous; anthers reddish, ovate, 0.2–0.3 mm. |
exserted; perianth bicolored with floral tube greenish white to white and tepals white to pink, cylindric, 4–4.5(–5) mm, sparsely pubescent; tepals connate 1/2 their length, dimorphic, obovate, those of outer whorl spreading, 2 times longer than those of inner whorl, rounded or slightly obcordate apically, those of inner whorl erect, narrower, fimbriate apically; stamens (6–)9, mostly included; filaments distinct, 4–4.5 mm, glabrous; anthers yellow to golden, oblong, 0.9–1.1 mm. |
Achenes | dark brown, lenticular, 2–2.2 mm. |
brown, globose-lenticular, 3–3.5 mm. |
2n | = (76, 78), 80, (84). |
= 38, 40, 42. |
Chorizanthe orcuttiana |
Chorizanthe obovata |
|
Phenology | Flowering Mar–May. | Flowering May–Jul. |
Habitat | Sandy soil, mesas and hills near coast, coastal scrub communities | Sandy or calcareous soils, mixed grassland, coastal scrub, or chaparral communities, pine-oak woodlands |
Elevation | 60-200 m (200-700 ft) | 10-1300 m (0-4300 ft) |
Distribution |
CA |
CA
|
Discussion | Of conservation concern. Chorizanthe orcuttiana is known from a few populations on coastal mesas and hills near San Diego, San Diego County. It is federally listed as endangered. The species is an octoploid that may well have resulted from an ancient hybridization and doubling of chromosomes involving C. procumbens and C. polygonoides var. longispina. The Orcutt spineflower grows in soft, white sand; C. procumbens and C. polygonoides var. longispina are restricted to gravelly sites. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Chorizanthe obovata is found in the Coast Ranges. The whitish flowers quickly distinguish it from C. palmeri and the other reddish-flowered members of this complex. Immature plants can be confused with C. staticoides; the floral features readily separate the two species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 5, p. 467. | FNA vol. 5, p. 459. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Parry: Proc. Davenport Acad. Nat. Sci. 4: 54. (1884) | Goodman: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 21: 70. (1934) |
Web links |